Tuesday, August 25, 2009

After a delectably wonderful start, it's now time to meet the Star of tonight's preformance.

Firstly, my palate was cleansed with a tart and tangy complimentary Orange Sorbet that was wonderfully light and refreshing.

Pan Roasted Duck Confit with Mustard Cream and Mashed Potatoe on a Crisp Potato Courrone. I purposely ordered this to compare between the confit I had at Hakka and Alexis. Confit means to preserve in French, and Duck Confit is usually prepared using the leg (Just like the salty chinese waxed duck, which is available duing Chinese New year Celebration). Usually the duck is cured with salt and spices (which may include cumin, nutmeg and pimento) and slowly basted in duck fat before preserving the confit in referigerator. Frangipani's confit was marvelous. The confit was panfried, with a delectably crispy outer skin, but the meat was soft and moist. Not greasy at all. As you can see, the duck was still plump and full, not shriveled. I actually asked the Manager how did they manage to maintain the succulence of the meat. Apparently the secret is to slowly poach the duck in it's own fat for 8 hours! Normal poaching time is usually 3 hours.

The small little clumps were Mustard Cream Sauce. And the duck sat on a bed of mashed potatoes which in turn sat on a ring of Crispy Potato Courrone. I found the Mustard Cream slightly too salty, as the duck had been cured in salt as well. Otherwise this dish was perfect. The wine you see on the top left of the Duck was the 2006 Zind Humbrecht Riesling. An unusual pairing, you may say, but 2006 was such a wonderful year for the Alsace region. And this wine did not disappoint. This medium bodied wine was big and fragrant, the bouquet was floral and some oranges and some pear. The Riesling was dry and acidic with a sweetish after taste.

Desserts are always a very indulgent treat that I look forward to after dinner. And the choices at Frangipani are marvelous. I ordered a trio, which was 3 types of dessert at tasty (minuscule) portions. It was minuscule to me because it was really good!

Dark Chocolate With Pistachio Terrine with Passion Fruit Mascarpone and Forest Berry Coulis. Terrine would be any food, usually loaf shaped made in a Terrine mold. This was again a beautiful creation. Lovely, rich dark chocolate. Just so slightly sweet, but more bitter than sweet. In the mouth, the stickiness of the chocolate blending with the rich creaminess of Marscapone is a sensation beyond description. I closed my eyes and I was reminded of my first love. The excitement of tasting something forbidden, the sweetness of a first kiss and the bitterness of rejection which is part and parcel of this lush menagerie we call life.

The French Toast with Rum and Raisin Sauce and Freshly Baked Apple was rich and came covered in a thin layer of caramel. The Baked apple was slightly tough. I should have tasted this first before the Chocolate Terrine as the richness of the Terrine overwhelmed the more subtle taste of the French Toast.

The last dessert forming the trio was Pistachio and White Chocolate Cheesecake with Irish tea roule, tasted pine nuts and Pistachio Cream filled Russian Cigarette. Lovely and decadent, this was The Dessert to end the evening with a blast. The cake was excellent. I've used up too many superlatives in this post and have run out words to describe this.

Overall dining experience was superb. lovely ambiance, good attentive service from fairly knowledgeable staff (but their accent can be a bit difficult to understand) and the food was marvelous. But prices here may seem a it steeper, and it will definitely be just an occasioanl indulgence.

7 comments:

just looking at the duck confit made me wanna throw down everything back here in pahang and head to KL :)big fan of duck... be it chinese roasted duck or whatever.. as long as it's done perfectly!!your description of frangipani's version fits the bill..

@ John: Sorry for the late reply. The drinks were about 35 to 40, I think. I cannot recall the price because it was so long ago. They have an excellent 7 course pairing menu with wines for about RM350, which I thought was pretty good value. Of course, you will have to be able to handle 7 glasses of wine, which I can't!

I love Frangipani's ambience and I wish I could afford dining there more often (I've only had their 3-course set dinners before, astounding experience nonetheless). I love their Gay Night on Fridays! Brilliantly forward thinking and liberal institution...

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